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An Excellent Choice

Spray foam roofing (SPF) is an excellent choice for a flat roof because of its insulation properties and seamlessness.

It has a long lifespan if it's been installed correctly, which takes skill and special equipment for the project. Throw your favorite coffee pod into your coffee maker and learn about foam roofs.

Benefits of a Spray Foam Roof Installation

Mistakes to Avoid in SPF Installation

Foam Roof Installation and Finding an Experienced Contractor

How It Works

Spray foam roofing sounds easy enough. Two ingredients are mixed using special equipment attached to a truck or trailer. A chemical reaction starts as soon as the ingredients are mixed together.

Heated hoses bring the mixture forward to a spray gun, which is used to apply the foam to the roof with a thickness of 1 to 2 inches. The liquid then foams, expands, and hardens.

An elastomeric coating is applied to protect the foam from UV rays.

This installation takes skill and experience. The equipment is too specialized for a one-off job. Only an experienced pro will be able to mix the components correctly, at the right temperature, and apply the liquid properly while anticipating how much the foam will expand.

This is a widely recognized and highly effective building envelope material, with roofing systems being one of the main application categories.

A high-performance product with a lot of incredible benefits, spray foam has gained popularity with builders and roofing contractors.

Like a lot of building products, installation should always be performed by a professional, experienced installer utilizing correct handling and installation techniques, with safety precautions employed and followed.

Dual Purpose Material

The foam serves dual purposes as a protective roofing material and as a thermal insulation solution. A roof’s main purpose is to protect what is underneath it. SPF roofing systems provide durable protection for the structure and personal items contained below.

It's lightweight, as most SPF roof systems, weigh less than a pound per square foot. Its also seamless and self-flashing, and highly resistant to severe weather, wind, and foot traffic.

Once installed, it requires minimal maintenance, providing more strength to the roofing system. It works well in most of the country’s geographic regions and climates.

Insulation Properties

It also works well as both an air and moisture barrier. Not only does it protect against water and moisture intrusion, but it also reduces air movement through the roof system, which improves indoor air quality and lowers the energy use of the building.

Because the roof of a building is a big source of heat loss, the insulating qualities of the SPF help to provide excellent indoor temperatures and energy efficiency. As a thermal insulator, it has one of the highest R-values per inch of all roofing insulations.

And, because spray foam has fully adhered to, there are no thermal intrusions from fasteners. Keeping heat inside the property during colder months and keeping heat out in warmer months.

It reduces heating and air conditioning demands, which lowers energy expenses during its lifespan, which can be 30 to 50 years with the right maintenance. In warmer areas, reflective roof coatings can also be added over the SPF to further reduce cooling expenses.

Why Foam Roofing In Summary

Roof performance isn’t measured by just one factor (like R-value). Rather, the success of a roofing system is accomplished by reviewing combined considerations for air movement, moisture control, health, safety, durability, occupant comfort, and energy efficiency. An SPF roof scores high marks in all of these categories.

Watch out for the myths of foam roofing and makes sure that you are getting your roof maintained!

Debunking the Myths

In the Desert Southwest, spray foam roofing is a great solution for flat or low sloped roofs, but there are a lot of myths and misconceptions about this roofing choice.  As a result, many customers tend to have concerns about taking advantage of this option. To show consumers the value and versatility of spray foam, we hope to shed light on several of these myths.

5 Spray Foam Roofing Myths and Misconceptions

SPF Costs Too Much

Spray foam roofing is very affordable compared to other options. The cost is about the same as a single layer of asphalt shingles. In fact, with the rising cost of oil, the expense of oil based asphalt shingles is going up.  On the other hand, spray foam pricing has remained fairly constant.

SPF Isn’t Durable

Research has shown that properly applied roofing foam can last as long as 50 years when applied correctly and maintained by re-coating it on a regular basis. There are foam roofs that were applied over 40 years ago that are still holding up well.

SPF Is Too Toxic

Spray polyurethane foam is just a type of plastic that has been altered slightly and has been used to make the millions of bottles that are used in the food manufacturing industry — bottles that are used for bottled  water, soft drinks, ketchup, mustard, mayo and hundreds, maybe thousands of other products that are consumed in households throughout our country every day.

SPF Isn’t A Good Insulator

Foam roofing is a great option for insulating your property or business from heat, especially on flat or slightly sloped roofs. The closed cell structure gives SPF one of the highest R-Values (thermal resistance) of all roofing materials that can be used on your property, and it makes it very moisture resistant as well as being highly fire resistant, which is great for insurance rates.

SPF Is Not Energy Efficient

Texas A&M University studied the energy use of its campus buildings before and after they applied Spray foam on its building’s roofing systems. They studied more than eight million square feet of SPF roofing on their campus, and found that their energy savings completely paid for the expense of Texas A&M’s SPF roof systems in three to four years.

It Insulates and Protects

Usually, a polyurethane foam roof costs about equal to a Built-Up Roof (BUR) with underlying insulation. However, foam roofs are unique because they are the only roof type that both insulates and protects against leaks with a single monolithic barrier.

Different Materials to Consider When You Install a Foam Roof

There are a lot of flat roofing materials, but all are not equal in quality. An EPDM (rubber roof) or single-ply roof, sealed either by tars or adhesives are not as high quality as a typical BUR roof.

The reason is they usually last less than 10 years, while a higher quality BUR roof may last a lot more than 10 years. Usually, a BUR roof is built with a few semi-flexible membrane layers, and then water-proofed with water-resistant modified bitumen.

Remember, coal tars are a known carcinogen (not as severe as asbestos – otherwise, this would be more widely known). Modified bitumen, however, comes from oils, refined at much lower temperatures than coal tar, and is a much safer substance.

The fluctuating prices in the cost of a barrel of oil get passed on to the roofing industry. As the costs of asphalt roofing materials continue to increase, and the cost of a high-quality polyurethane foam roof remains more steady, that makes SPF or foam roofing more affordable for consumers.

Compare Costs Before You Install A Foam Roof

Cost, of course, can vary due to a lot of factors, like geographic location, and the size and type of the project. Prices might be estimated anywhere between $3-$12 per square foot, and this can be affected by several other factors – the quality of the materials used, the labor costs to install these materials, and any associated warranty, contractor insurance, or bonding costs which will get passed on to the customer.

Initial Cost Factors:

Long Term Considerations

If you’re going to install a roof, it’s good to think about the long-term cost impact. If you have decided to install a foam roof, the insulation factor can pay off big in the long run.

Also, think about adding cool roof coatings; just by changing the color of a roof to something reflective can lower summer cooling bills by 30% or more.

Medium Density Sprayed Polyurethane Foam Roofing conforms to the corners and angles of a roof and usually has an R-Value around 6 to 8 per inch of thickness. In layman’s terms, one inch of foam is as effective as 6 to 8 inches of solid wood.

In reality, due to things like vapor trapping (foam forms a barrier), and the density of foam (it is light, but heavier than air–of course), foam can be 4 times more effective than fiberglass.

If you have lived in an older, poorly insulated home, you know that heating and cooling bills can really get out of control with poor insulation.

This is just one final cost factor that should be considered when you’re comparing an insulated roof like SPF with other roofing materials, like EPDM, Single Ply, or BUR, with no insulation. Watch out for the myths of foam roofs.

Foam Roofs Are A Great Choice

Polyurethane spray foam roofing has been used for a long time.  However, it has recently become much more popular given the advantages of having a foam roof here in Arizona. If your old roof needs to be replaced, switching to foam could make sense in a lot of ways.

Here Are Five Strong Advantages Of Foam Roofing

Very Tight, Waterproof Seal

Foam roofs don’t have seams, and form a tight, even seal around vents, pipes and chimneys.  This provides a waterproof seal that reduces the odds of moisture getting into openings. Because of this, one of the most important foam roof advantages is that it provides better leak protection than other roofing. Foam also doesn’t contract and expand over time, which means the tight seal won’t break either.

Better Insulation Quality

Spray foam is an excellent insulator that can greatly lower your heating and cooling expenses. Since it has no seams, heat can’t easily escape from your property during the winter. Also, because this roofing material is white means it will stay cooler in the summer too.

Foam also insulates well against outside noise, which means your home will be mare quiet and calm inside after having Mikku and Sons Roofing add this material to the surface of your roof. This is a big advantage if you live in a highly trafficked area or, if maybe you currently have a metal roof, which transmits a lot of sound.

Durability

Foam roofs don’t ever wear out, provided you are maintaining it correctly. Ideally, the roof should be re-coated after five years to keep it in top shape. After the first re-coating, you’ll only need to have this service repeated once every twenty years. As long as you follow the recommended maintenance routine, you shouldn’t have any problems with your roof at all.

Not only do foam roofs last longer than other roofing systems, but they are also rugged and sturdy enough to walk on. Which means you won’t have to worry about safety whenever it’s time to clean the roof or have someone perform repairs.

Environmentally Friendly

Spray foam can be installed directly over the top of other roofing materials, which could mean eliminating the need to rip them off the roof and dispose of them in a landfill. Also, since foam roofs last so long, you won’t have to worry about adding to landfill waste at a later time either. And, one last thing regarding the environment, the foam used in foam roofing is non-toxic and doesn’t produce any harmful fumes, making it safe to be inside using your your home while the work is going on up on the roof.

More Attractive

Your roof shouldn’t be just for protection, but also add to the beauty and curb appeal of your property as well. Foam roofs are attractive, and work well with homes of all styles and construction types. White foam matches well with any exterior siding, but, you can also have foam tinted beige, tan or light gray if that would match your property better. One big advantage of white foam, however, is the fact that it doesn’t fade when exposed to UV rays, so your roof will continue to look like new much longer than tinted ones.

It Has Great Advantages

  1. A Tight Waterproof Seal
  2. Superior Insulation Qualities
  3. Very Durable
  4. Environmentally Friendly
  5. It Is Attractive

More than likely it was the advantages that convinced you to choose a foam roof originally. However, just like any other type of roof, foam roofs also need to be properly maintained.

Tips For Foam Roofing Maintenance
That Should Make Things Easier

Remove Any Objects You Don’t Need

Some property owners put furniture and other such things on the surface of their foam roof. While this might be a good way to take in a view, keep in mind that these unnecessary items could also damage the very material you’re depending on to keep your property watertight. Putting it bluntly, the less you use the roof as a platform, the less the foam is likely to need expensive repairs or more than normal maintenance.

Make Sure to Keep it Clean

Every roof needs to be kept clean, so this should go without saying. Every year, you should go up and take a look for yourself to see whether any obvious maintenance is needed. If you can, though, you should go up on your roof once every season just to be careful. It’s also a good idea to check the roof after any major monsoon storm, just to make sure nothing got blown on top of it or damaged anything. The good news is that the cleaning can probably be done by you yourself. Clearing bird’s nests, leaves, tree branches and other debris can easily be done by hand and will help protect your foam roof.

One thing a foam roof won’t attract is pests like rodents and insects, so you won’t have to worry that cleaning it also means you’ll have to deal with these little nuisances.

Check for Color and Texture Issues

When you’re up on your roof, check to see if any areas look like they’re beginning to get discolored discolored. You should also check the texture. This is why you want to do more than just cleaning to properly maintain your foam roof. You should walk over the whole structure to make sure it still has a texture that looks something like an orange peel. Anything else should make you concerned. Typical problem signs are textures that might resemble popcorn of scrambled eggs, strangely enough. Either one is probably a sure indication that your foam roof has been damaged in some way.

Obviously, if you notice that the roof is being exposed in any way or its showing signs of deterioration beyond the texture issues we just spoke about, you definitely have a problem.

Don’t Re-coat the Roof Yourself

Foam roof maintenance is something that can be handled by the property owner, but re-coating the roof most definitely is not. The process may look simple and easy, but it involves a specific and critical form of cleaning using the correct materials in specified amounts. If you decide to try re-coating the roof on your own, you’’re going be inviting more expensive problems in the future. You should leave repairs and re-coating to qualified professional flat roofing contractors.

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